UN chief calls for more exemptions to US aid pause

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for the United States to consider additional exemptions to a 90-day pause on its foreign assistance to "ensure continued delivery of critical development and humanitarian activities."

Just hours after taking office a week ago, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the pause so foreign aid contributions could be reviewed to see if they align with his foreign policy.

The move risks cutting off billions of dollars of life-saving assistance. The United States is the largest single donor of aid globally. In fiscal year 2023, it disbursed $72 billion in assistance.

Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the U.S. was one of the U.N.'s largest contributors of voluntary humanitarian development aid, and that the world body was trying to work out what impact the pause would have.

"We're extremely appreciative of the generosity the United States has always shown. We want to work together, to assess, to hear and deal with the concerns of the new U.S. administration, while at the same time ensuring that the most vulnerable remain protected," Dujarric told reporters.

There was initial confusion among U.S. lawmakers, aid groups and the United Nations over the scope of Trump's order. That was cleared up on Friday, when the U.S. State Department issued a "stop-work" order for all existing foreign assistance and paused new aid, according to a cable seen by Reuters.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio can issue waivers and has given an exemption for emergency food assistance.

"The Secretary-General calls for additional exemptions to be considered to ensure the continued delivery of critical development and humanitarian activities for the most vulnerable communities around the world, whose lives and livelihoods depend on this support," Dujarric said.

Tougher stance

Guterres looks forward to working with the new U.S. administration "on the provision of much needed development support to people grappling with the most difficult challenges confronting the developing world," Dujarric said.

Aid and rights groups have also expressed concern about Trump's order.

"Any new administration is entitled to review existing foreign aid, but continuing the delivery of important assistance is critical while the review is being conducted," said Sarah Yager, Washington director at Human Rights Watch.

She said in a statement that U.S. assistance supports medical programs, mine clearance, the protection of human rights defenders and other vulnerable communities, "all of which are at risk without steady funding."When asked about the aid review, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told Fox News on Monday: "It's about taking a note of what we've been doing and whether or not things need to change and how to best proceed to the future for us... We will not be taken advantage of."

The pause on U.S. foreign aid is a tougher stance than Trump took during his first term in office between 2017 and 2021, when he threatened the measure.

At the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders in September 2018, Trump told the General Assembly that his administration would examine whether countries receiving U.S. aid and protection "also have our interests at heart."

"Moving forward, we are only going to give foreign aid to those who respect us and, frankly, are our friends," he said.

However, the U.S. Congress sets the federal government budget and pushed back against Trump's attempts during his first term to make large cuts to U.S. diplomacy and aid budgets.